1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to switches. More specifically, the systems and methods of the invention relate to actuator and latching systems and methods that may be used in a switch.
2. Description of Related Art
Micro-electromechanical (MEMS) technology switches are used in many applications. For example, a MEMS switch may be used in microfluidics to open and close a valve, or to direct a flow of fluid through a pipe. Optical communications systems may utilize large amounts of bandwidth. In order to improve efficiency, many optical communications systems utilize MEMS optical switches. The switches may be used in optical communications systems to control a lightwave through a waveguide or to add/drop channels in a multiplexer. For example, the optical switches may add or drop input signals from a fiber optic source to a different fiber optic output port sometimes using optical multiplexers. The optical switches may also include both a shuttle mechanism that holds a routing waveguide structure, and an actuator that physically moves the shuttle mechanism.
Conventional optical switches typically use separate components for the optical switch and the switch actuator. The optical switch may also include a latching mechanism to lock the position of the shuttle in place to save power and to prevent a loss of a switch position during a power failure. Conventional latching mechanisms have been formed to include a pair of V-shaped thermal actuators that move away from each other when power is applied to the actuators. The movement opens a path for a latch to move through. When power is removed and the thermal actuators relax, a distance between the thermal actuators decreases to secure the latch and the shuttle is held in a predetermined position.
The conventional latches discussed above are quite large and consume too much space for a MEMS device. For example, the latches are formed to be 100 μm in a parallel direction to the waveguides and 400 μm in a perpendicular direction to the waveguides. When an array of switches using the conventional latches is integrated into a multiplexer, the size of the switches in the perpendicular direction greatly increases the overall size of a chip. For example, when using a 32- or 64-channel system, the 400 μm width of the latch adds 1.28 cm or 2.56 cm to the width of the chip, respectively, resulting in chips that can be 4 cm wide. Chips that are formed to be 4 cm wide result in an increased manufacturing cost and are difficult to package.